http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/feature/2014/09-03-eritrea-ihl-seminar-youth.htm
Eritrea: Eritrean youth widen their knowledge of IHL
03-09-2014 Feature
On the occasion of the 6th National Sawa Festival the ICRC, in cooperation
with the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students (NUEYS), held a
seminar on international humanitarian law (IHL) attended by 325
representatives from political and youth organizations from across the
country and the diaspora.
*Youth working in politics attend a seminar on IHL and the ICRC in Sawa,
Eritrea. CC BY-NC-ND/ICRC/Tesfai Zecarias*
The Sawa Festival is celebrated biannually at the Sawa Vocational Training
Centre, together with the military graduation ceremony of new trainees. The
6th National Sawa Festival, on 17–20 July 2014, brought together some
30,000 people from home and abroad.
The seminar on international humanitarian law (IHL) was led jointly by a
legal expert from the Ministry of Justice, Mr Samuel Ghebreberhan, and Mr
Aron Berhane, head of communications at ICRC Asmara. It focused on the
basics of IHL and the Eritrean experience of its application during the
years of armed struggle. In addition, the event highlighted the ICRC’s
mandate, its history in the region and its activities in Eritrea.
The seminar helped participants to comprehend that IHL aims at safeguarding
the victims of armed conflict whether they are civilians, weapons-wounded
or captured combatants. In addition, they learned that IHL puts limits on
the means and methods of warfare so as to avoid unnecessary and excessive
suffering and damage. The ICRC has been working in Eritrea since 1998. The
organization’s mandate is set out in the Geneva Conventions, the main text
of IHL, to which Eritrea, along with 194 other States, is party.
Increasing knowledge of IHL
“It is important for Eritrean youth to increase their knowledge of IHL
because they contribute or have the potential to contribute an important
role in the defence system of their country,” explained Aron Berhane,
adding, “Sensitizing the young with such knowledge helps to promote
compliance with international law.”
Among the audience were NUEYS leaders, members of the Ministry of
Information, youth and representatives and military officers of the Sawa
Training Centre. Although many of the participants were not new to ICRC
dissemination sessions, the seminar was the first of its kind to be held in
Sawa.
The first question asked by one of the participants was: “What are the
benefits of signing the Geneva Conventions?” The answer to this was:
“Recognizing and respecting that IHL plays an important role in both
reversing hostile environments among warring parties and promoting respect
for and the dignity of human beings.”
As in the two previous Sawa festivals, the ICRC, with the facilitation of
NUEYS, exhibited an array of IHL publications and exchanged information
with interested members of the public on topics related to IHL and the ICRC.
*Freshly graduated national service members visit the ICRC exhibition
centre and receive information from an ICRC communication officer. CC
BY-NC-ND/ICRC/Aron Berhane*
Received on Wed Sep 03 2014 - 09:31:08 EDT